Cooper's Realization (A Prequel)
by Jody
Summary: After the Workshop performance, Cooper Neilson finds out that Jody Sawyer means more to him than he first realized.... R&R please.. this is my first attempt!
1. Cooper's Realization (A Prequel)

~**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Center Stage except memorabilia.**~  
  
  
Cooper's Realization  
  
  
  
"And I hear you got yourself a Principal dancer..." Cooper Neilson turned around   
quickly as he say Jody Sawyer emerging from the building, "Are you with me?" he asked   
her anticipation in his voice. "I'm with you..." she grinned, and his heart soared. He   
swung her around, and looked deep into her penetrating blue eyes... one of the many   
attractive features she had to offer. "You're not gonna regret this..." Cooper leaned   
forward and caressed her cheek before kissing her. But before he could, she pulled  
away,"Cooper... you're an amazing dancer, and a great choreographer but..." her voice   
trailed off, "As a boyfriend... you kinda suck." It was then she ran off to meet with  
Charlie Simms, and Cooper began to slowly realize that his chance was lost. Charlie   
stroked Jody's face in a warm and gentle kiss, and behind them a sigh was heard. Cooper   
felt a sudden let down, as if his heart and soul had been completely sucked from his   
body. He hadn't fully realized the danger of his situation. After being hurt before, he   
didn't see an Ace in his deck of cards. But quite to his surprise, it was the Queen   
of Hearts that snuck up on him. Jody was that special woman he had been waiting for,   
and he knew it deep down the minute he saw her leaving with someone else. What a idiot   
he had been! At one time, it was he that cradled her in his arms, and he who held her   
heart in the palm of his hand. Cooper turned a full circle round, and walked away from   
the celebration. His head hung low, chest aching with stabbing pain. Thinking back to   
the night at his loft, he remembered taking her innocence away, and then the evening   
of the Stars and Stripes performance was when he betrayed her. The agonizing stabbing  
feeling soon gave way to wave after wave of incredible remorse. Why had he been so   
cruel and heartless in the first place? It was because of Kathleen, the woman he had   
loved more than anything... she had ran off and married Jonathon, after they had been   
having a long affair. How could he ever trust again? Could his heart mend enough to let  
love in once more? He hadn't thought so. Salty tears began to slide down his cheeks,   
and mixed in with the rain that had steadily began to fall. His emotions distorted every   
feature on his face, and Cooper tried his damnedest to keep from being seen in such a   
vulnerable state. What he wouldn't give to be able to pull her away, and say all that   
was on his mind, in his heart. But Jody had moved on, she was now with Charlie, and   
there was no way in hell that he'd have a chance to ever tell her how he felt. For   
Charlie was the type of guy that knew what a good thing was. By the time he reached   
ABA, it was past dark. He looked up into one of the dorm windows, the drapes were pulled   
shut... but he knew who lived there. "I love you Jody..." he whispered blowing a kiss to the   
window, "I hope he makes you happy..." Then stuffing his hands into his pockets, he walked   
away. Cooper Neilson was a scorned lover yes, but he was also a foolish man... a man who   
had thrown away the best thing that could have happened to him. And what for? To fuel his   
damaged pride, giving him a sense of control. But in the end, any control he had was  
completely lost. How could he go on now? Day to day, looking at the woman he loved   
knowing he couldn't have her. To dance with her, to touch her and remember she was with   
another... that could practically kill him. Breathing a deep sigh, Cooper stared at his Harley   
before getting on and going home. To the place filled with sad memories, the remembrances of   
that evening; the wine they drank, the music he played... his bed, where he had made love to   
her. It all hit him like a thousand knives being thrust into his body. He lay down that night,  
and cried himself into a tortured, dreamless sleep... and all the while calling out Jody's   
name. Would he ever find his resolution? Would he finally be at peace? All these questions   
were to be answered in the future...  



	2. The First Morning

  
~**Disclaimer- Center Stage is not mine... honest!**~  
  
Author's Note: Much of the arguing between Cooper and Charlie came from a role-play a good friend of mine and I did. It is HIS Charlie that I depict in this story, therefore I take no credit for him whatsoever :)  
  
  
Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You  
  
  
The sunlight shone in on a pair of lovers; curled up in bed, limbs intertwined together. Jody slowly opened her eyes and looked about. She was no longer in her dorm, but in the apartment that she shared with Charlie. They had moved in together that very same night that they joined with their respective companies. She brushed a strand of blonde curls from her face, and watched him for a time. Sleeping peacefully, he looked as innocent as a newborn child. Rising slowly as not to disturb him, Jody grabbed a few articles of clothing and headed into the bathroom to take her morning shower. The warm water sprayed out, sliding down every curve, cleansing every inch of her. Poking her head out from behind the curtain, she noted it was 7:30. In a few minutes, she would have to wake Charlie... whether he liked it or not. She wasn't about to let either of them be late for their first rehearsal as full-fledged company members. As soon as Jody finished drying her hair, the telephone rang. Apparently, from Charlie's half of the conversation... their good friend Dimitri Spencer had the same idea. Knocking on the door Charlie asked politely, "Mind if I come in?" Wrapping a towel about her waist she replied, "No, go ahead... I'm almost done." Jody's tongue could have practically rolled out of her mouth at the sight of him. Sporting only a pair of gray boxer shorts, and uncombed hair... he was certainly a sight to see in the morning. "Hey... where's my morning kiss hmm?" Turning around, Charlie smiled, and gave her what she asked for. The kiss, like the many they shared, made her heart burst with happiness. Jody knew she had done the right thing, buy choosing him. But as she pulled her things together, a thought struck her. What is my relationship with Cooper going to be like now? After everything they had shared, could they really stay friends... if that? There was no denying that she had loved Cooper Neilson. The question was, did she still? One never really gets over their first love. I'm just being silly... Jody told herself. Turning on the radio, to ease her troubled mind, a familiar tune came on. A song that sent chills through her body, "I wanna be with you, if only for one night... to be the one who's in your arms to hold you tight." Swallowing a lump in her throat, Jody closed her eyes and sat down, taking in one of the many memories she had acquired over that year.   
  
  
She and Charlie were sitting together in the Great Practice room before rehearsal. Many of the other students just went on warming up, and readying themselves, while others gossiped. Cooper rested his body against the doorframe, and shook his head. Being as BUSY as he was, Jonathon couldn't possibly have taken care of the class while Juliette was out sick for the day. So he had to call on someone whom he thought had nothing better to do. Cooper noticed Jody sitting on the floor with Charlie, one of the students whom he didn't get along with. And only God knew why. "You know... these floors were made for dancing... " He started walking towards the radio on the floor, in front of the mirror, "Not to rest your asses on..." Jody cleared her throat, and Charlie glared at Cooper. The hatred was more than obvious on his face. "Well you know, if you'd actually get off YOUR ass and tell us what to do... then we wouldn't be having this discussion..." he smiled, a VERY fake smile. Turning his attention to him, Cooper said rather calmly, "Now, if you recall Charlie... I'm not Juliette... but that doesn't mean I don't have the authority to tell you to get up and dance... for yourselves at least. You don't always have to be lead around like children..." Charlie's eyes narrowed more, but then he decided to keep his mouth shut for the moment. Jody took Charlie's hand, "Don't let him get to you..."   
  
"Hard not too..." Cooper's eyes met with Jody's for a moment, almost as if he wanted to say something. Watching him for a moment, Charlie looked just like a panther waiting to attack its prey. Jody looked away, then at the floor before squeezing his shoulder, "Well... we might as well get up and dance right?" Charlie locked his jaw, and crossed his arms over his chest, "Nope..."  
  
"Charlie... the last thing I wanna do... is to see you two battle it out again... please?" she practically begged. Sighing loudly, he stood up, "Fine... if we have to..." The music blared out of the radio, and the class began counting beats. Cooper waits for a suitable starting point, "And.... 5, 6, 7, 8..." And the group started, after a short period of watching, he joined the rest of them on the floor... very much unlike Jonathon. Charlie muttered to himself, "Wow...actually dancing... amazing..." He danced just like the others, performing the exact steps he was told to do over and over again. At the junction in the song where the men join their partners, Jody felt a pair of arms around her waist, hands that flirted with her curves. Her expression turned to one of surprise when she noticed... they weren't Charlie's. Turning his head, Charlie stopped dancing, and walked over to them. Jody pulled herself away from Cooper and the rest of the class stopped as well... fully aware of the brimming altercation. Cooper folded his arms over his chest and his eyes caught sight of Charlie's clenched fists, "At this point, Jody was supposed to have someone partnering her, I didn't assume you'd have a problem with that..."   
  
"Yeah... I know that Cooper..." he crossed his arms, his chest stretched up almost like a tomcat proving his size. Cooper glanced at Jody momentarily, then back at Charlie "So what's the problem?" Cringing his nose slightly, his eyes held a rather intimidating gaze, "Why don't you get your own damn girlfriend and leave her alone..." Jody hugged her arms around herself, and closed her eyes. "Letting your temper run won't help matters any... it was a dance. Nothing to be jealous of..." Coopers' tone still remained calm and reserved. "Never said I was jealous... I just don't trust you... your a stuck up asshole that thinks he's God's gift to women..." Charlie looked at Jody, and his features softened slightly, he didn't like to see her like that. Jody looked up at Cooper then at Charlie, her face full of hurt, "Just stop this... both of you..."   
  
Charlie walked over to Jody, and pulled her into a gentle hug. "I'm sorry..." he whispered into her ear. Jody ducked out of it, "I know you're sorry Charlie... I know..." she turned around, and walked towards the door, "I need to take a moment to clear my head..." She gave Cooper an unreadable glance from where Charlie stood.   
  
  
"Jody... hey... you in there?" She suddenly snapped out of her daydream, and looked at Charlie. He kneeled in front of her, his arms resting on her legs. "Sorry... I was just thinking... that's all."  
  
"You were out there for at least a good five minutes... are you alright?" his voice was filled with genuine concern, "Yea... I'm fine." Jody stood up and threw her dance bag on her shoulder. "I'm going to take off now... there are a couple things I need to get straightened out with Cooper before the others get there. Giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, she was out of the door in a flash. Charlie pulled his shirt over his head, and sighed deeply. He wasn't so sure about this. While being a principal in the company made Jody happy, he just couldn't stand to see his hands on her. Dancing his ballets or not. How did he know what Cooper's intentions were? He didn't trust that man any farther than he could throw him. But there was nothing he could do... just believe that Jody wouldn't succumb to his charms again. He couldn't bear to be hurt again... but any good relationship has its ups and downs, and the occasional fight. Charlie just hoped that fight wouldn't involve Cooper Neilson...   



End file.
